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54-625: The Elkhorn Mountains are partly within the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest and the North Fork John Day Wilderness . Anthony Lakes ski area is in the range, west of North Powder . This Baker County , Oregon state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Grant County , Oregon state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Union County , Oregon state location article

108-691: A 20,500-square-foot (1,900 m ) log building in Enterprise, burned to the ground on July 11, 2010. The forest works with the Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation on cultural and natural resources issues. The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is used for hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, and other recreational activities. Anthony Lakes Ski Area

162-402: A more unified bureau mission and recognized the value of the remaining public lands by declaring that these lands would remain in public ownership. The law directed that these lands be managed with a view toward "multiple use" defined as "management of the public lands and their various resource values so that they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of

216-614: A pilot project on the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range known as the Adopt-A-Horse initiative. The program took advantage of provisions in the WFRHBA to allow private "qualified" individuals to "adopt" as many horses as they wanted if they could show that they could provide adequate care for the animals. At the time, title to the horses remained permanently with the federal government. The pilot project

270-513: A regular and recurring presence on a vast amount of public lands, roads and recreation sites. They focus on the protection of natural and cultural resources, other BLM employees and visitors. Given the many locations of BLM public lands, these rangers use canines, helicopters, snowmobiles, dirt bikes and boats to perform their duties. By contrast BLM special agents are criminal investigators who plan and conduct investigations concerning possible violations of criminal and administrative provisions of

324-723: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Wallowa%E2%80%93Whitman National Forest The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is a United States National Forest in the U.S. states of Oregon and Idaho . Formed upon the merger of the Wallowa and Whitman national forests in 1954, it is located in the northeastern corner of Oregon, in Wallowa , Baker , Union , Grant , and Umatilla counties, and includes small areas in Nez Perce and Idaho counties in Idaho. The forest

378-657: Is home to 36 fish species, 236 bird species, over 90  mammal species, 26  reptile - amphibian species, and roughly 1,500 plant species. Wildlife habitat is affected by logging and grazing , but significant stands of old-growth forest have survived. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the forest was 173,000 acres (70,000 ha). Large mammal species include Shiras moose, Rocky Mountain elk , Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep , mountain goat , white-tailed deer , mule deer , black bear , timber wolf , cougar , and bobcat . Several sightings of wolverines , rare within

432-746: Is home to the annual Eagle Cap Extreme Dog Sled Race, a three-day race that qualifies winners for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and the Yukon Quest race in Alaska and Yukon Territory. It is also home to the Wallowa Lake Tramway . There are four designated wilderness areas within the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. Three of these extend into neighboring national forests or onto land that

486-657: Is located north of Enterprise, Oregon , along Joseph Canyon . This section is joined to the first by the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area , which protects the stretch of the Snake River known as Hells Canyon , the deepest gorge in North America. The recreation area includes portions of the Nez Perce , Payette , and Wallowa–Whitman national forests, but is managed solely by the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. It contains

540-786: Is managed by the Bureau of Land Management . Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management ( BLM ) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering U.S. federal lands . Headquartered in Washington, D.C. , the BLM oversees more than 247.3 million acres (1,001,000 km ) of land, or one-eighth of the United States's total landmass. The Bureau

594-654: Is named for the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce people , who originally lived in the area, and Marcus and Narcissa Whitman , Presbyterian missionaries who settled just to the north in 1836. Forest headquarters are located in Baker City, Oregon with ranger districts in La Grande , Joseph and Baker City. The national forest may be divided into several distinct sections, which together cover 2,300,000 acres (9,300 km ) of land, including 600,000 acres (2,400 km ) of designated wilderness . A large section of

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648-553: Is not protected by a national park or monument designation. The BLM's May 30, 2019 statement proposed an additional 183,668 acres on "lands managed by the Canyon Country, Color Country, Green River, and West Desert districts" that would be listed for the quarterly oil and gas lease sale on September 10, 2019. In their May 2019, September lease offerings, the BLM said that they had "245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska" and across

702-637: Is the SIG Sauer P320 chambered in 9mm which is replacing the SIG Sauer P226 /P229 both chambered in .40 S&W. The BLM manages free-roaming horses and burros on public lands in ten western states. Though they are feral , the agency is obligated to protect them under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRHBA). As the horses have few natural predators, populations have grown substantially. WFRHBA as enacted provides for

756-540: Is the agency's largest ever purchase in the state. In 2024 the Department of the Interior has begun to advance a new rule according to which the Bureau of Land Management can distribute restoration leases and mitigation leases exactly in the same way as it distributes new leases for oil and gas drilling. The designed land will be used for nature conservation including use of indigenous knowledge. Established in 2000,

810-532: Is within the forest. The ski area is 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Baker City and 45 miles (72 km) southwest of La Grande. It has groomed slopes for alpine skiing and snowboarding and trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing . The forest also has many miles of trail specifically designated for snowmobile use. The forest has 52 developed campgrounds and 9 day-use picnic areas. Most campgrounds are open from May to October. The Forest Service also operates five rental cabins. Hikers have

864-472: The Department of the Interior . It took several years for this new agency to integrate and reorganize. In the end, the Bureau of Land Management became less focused on land disposal and more focused on the long term management and preservation of the land. The agency achieved its current form by combining offices in the western states and creating a corresponding office for lands both east of and alongside

918-708: The Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, the first of now 20 national monuments established on BLM lands and managed by the agency. The establishment of Grand Staircase–Escalante foreshadowed later creation of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System in 2000. Use of the Antiquities Act authority, to the extent it effectively scuttled a coal mine to have been operated by Andalex Resources , delighted recreation and conservation enthusiasts but set up larger confrontations with state and local authorities. Under

972-671: The Hells Canyon Wilderness , jointly managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management . The Hells Canyon Scenic Byway passes through the national forest on Forest Service Road 39. Another large section of the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is located west of La Grande and Baker City, Oregon , in the Elkhorn Mountains , a sub-range of the Blue Mountains . It borders

1026-692: The Malheur National Forest on the southwest and the Umatilla National Forest on the northwest. This area includes the upper reaches of the John Day and Grande Ronde rivers. The North Fork John Day and Monument Rock wildernesses are jointly managed by the adjacent national forests. The historic gold mining city of Sumpter is surrounded by the Wallowa–Whitman on all sides. The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest

1080-702: The Mississippi River . As a matter of course, the BLM's emphasis fell on activities in the western states as most of the mining, land sales, and federally owned areas are located west of the Mississippi. BLM personnel on the ground have typically been oriented toward local interests, while bureau management in Washington are led by presidential guidance. By means of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, Congress created

1134-735: The National Conservation Lands (formerly known as the National Landscape Conservation System), totaling about 36 million acres (150,000 km ). In addition the National Conservation Lands include nearly 2,400 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers , and nearly 6,000 miles of National Scenic and Historic Trails . There are more than 63,000 oil and gas wells on BLM public lands. Total energy leases generated approximately $ 5.4 billion in 2013, an amount divided among

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1188-603: The National Landscape Conservation System is overseen by the BLM. The National Landscape Conservation System lands constitute just about 12% of the lands managed by the BLM. Congress passed Title II of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-11) to make the system a permanent part of the public lands protection system in the United States. By designating these areas for conservation,

1242-682: The Treasury , the states, and Native American groups. The BLM's roots go back to the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. These laws provided for the survey and settlement of the lands that the original Thirteen Colonies ceded to the federal government after the American Revolution . As additional lands were acquired by the United States from Spain , France and other countries,

1296-703: The United States Congress directed that they be explored, surveyed, and made available for settlement. During the Revolutionary War, military bounty land was promised to soldiers who fought for the colonies. After the war, the Treaty of Paris of 1783 , signed by the United States, the UK , France , and Spain , ceded territory to the United States. In the 1780s, other states relinquished their own claims to land in modern-day Ohio . By this time,

1350-729: The United States General Land Office as part of the Department of the Treasury to oversee the disposition of these federal lands. By the early 1800s, promised bounty land claims were finally fulfilled. In the 19th century, other bounty land and homestead laws were enacted to dispose of federal land. Several different types of patents existed. These include cash entry, credit, homestead, Indian, military warrants, mineral certificates, private land claims, railroads, state selections, swamps, town sites, and town lots. A system of local land offices spread throughout

1404-873: The Wallowa Valley and surrounding mountains. The first European settlers arrived in the Wallowa Valley in 1860. In 1887, a gang of horse thieves murdered 34 Chinese miners in Chinese Massacre Cove along the Snake River. In 1905, the Wallowa Forest Reserve and Chesnimnus Reserve were established by President Theodore Roosevelt . The two reserves were later merged to create the Imnaha National Forest on March 1, 1907. On July 1, 1908,

1458-571: The American people." Since the Reagan administration in the 1980s, Republicans have often given priority to local control and to grazing, mining and petroleum production, while Democrats have more often emphasized environmental concerns even when granting mining and drilling leases. In September 1996, then President Bill Clinton used his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish

1512-503: The BLM and other statutes under the United States Code. Special agents are normally plain clothes officers who carry concealed firearms and other defensive equipment, make arrests, carry out complex criminal investigations, present cases for prosecution to local United States Attorneys and prepare investigative reports. Criminal investigators occasionally conduct internal and civil claim investigations. The current sidearm

1566-513: The BLM is "to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations." Originally BLM holdings were described as "land nobody wanted" because homesteaders had passed them by. All the same, ranchers hold nearly 18,000 permits and leases for livestock grazing on 155 million acres (630,000 km ) of BLM public lands. The agency manages 221 wilderness areas , 29 national monuments and some 636 other protected areas as part of

1620-633: The Biden administration, the BLM is working on a pilot project called "outcomes-based grazing", to see if cattle grazing can help achieve conservation, agency director Tracy Stone-Manning said in an interview published in April 2022. In June 2022, the BLM finalized two acquisitions in Colorado and Wyoming, acquiring over 40,000 acres of previously inaccessible land. The acquisition in Wyoming for 35,670 acres

1674-568: The National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund each year for five years for needed maintenance for critical facilities and infrastructure in national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, recreation areas and American Indian schools. The Act also committed $ 900 million a year in royalties from offshore oil and natural gas to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund investments in conservation and recreation opportunities across

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1728-609: The Trump administration, the BLM offered millions of acres of available Federal lands for 10-year leases for commercial development, potentially in oil and gas and mining, with the stated goal of "promoting American energy security". The BLM holds quarterly oil and gas lease sales. According to a June 18, 2018 article in The Atlantic , under the tenure of then- United States Secretary of the Interior , Ryan Zinke "practically gave away hundreds of thousands of acres of open land across

1782-561: The United States another "700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate" is under their management. The statement also said that these "diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $ 96 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2017" while supporting over 468,000 jobs". On August 4, 2020, President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law, committing up to $ 1.9 billion from energy development revenues to

1836-475: The United States needed revenue to function and land was sold as a source of income for the government. In order to sell the land, surveys needed to be conducted. The Land Ordinance of 1785 instructed a geographer to oversee this work as undertaken by a group of surveyors. The first years of surveying were completed by trial and error; once the territory of Ohio had been surveyed, a modern public land survey system had been developed. In 1812, Congress established

1890-630: The United States, have been recorded since the 1990s. Smaller mammals include the pika , marten , badger , mink , beaver , river otter , and marmot . Bird species include the peregrine falcon , bald eagle , golden eagle , ferruginous hawk , goshawk , gray-crowned rosy finch , chukar partridge , pileated woodpecker , American dipper , and great gray owl . Rivers and creeks support steelhead and trout . Plant communities range from low-elevation grasslands and ponderosa pine forest to alpine meadows . Engelmann spruce , mountain hemlock , subalpine fir and whitebark pine can be found in

1944-803: The United States. There are several herds of horses and burros roaming free on 26.9 million acres of range spread out in ten western states. It is essential to maintain a balance that keeps herd management land and animal population healthy. Some programs and partnerships include the Mustang Heritage Foundation, U.S. Border Patrol, Idaho 4H, Napa Mustang Days and Little Book Cliffs Darting Team. These partnerships help with adoption and animal population as well as education and raising awareness about wild horses and burros. In 2009, BLM opened Renewable Energy Coordination Offices in order to approve and oversee wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal projects on BLM-managed lands. The offices were located in

1998-799: The West, leasing it to energy companies for pennies on the dollar." The Salt Lake Tribune reported that in March 2019, the price per acre for leases near the Golden Spike National Historical Park , in Utah were "$ 1.50 an acre for the next two years". By September 11, 2018, the Department of Interior was offering 2.9 million acres to be leased to commercial operations including drilling for oil and gas and mining in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and other states where public land

2052-510: The choice of 66 trails, with vista points along many of the routes, and 26 interpretive sites. The national forest has seven areas where visitors can enjoy swimming, power boating, rafting , canoeing, and kayaking . There are numerous fishing streams, and hunting is allowed during specific seasons. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife regulates hunting and fishing activities on national forest land. Some forest activities require permits. The type of permit and its cost depends on

2106-454: The country. Also in August 2020, the BLM headquarters was relocated to Grand Junction, Colorado , by an order signed by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt . The relocation was praised by Republican Western politicians but criticized by Democrats as a move to weaken the agency through the loss of experienced staffers, who opted to stay in Washington, D.C. Some ranchers were concerned about

2160-508: The early successes of the adoption program, the BLM has struggled to maintain acceptable herd levels, as without natural predators, herd sizes can double every four years. As of 2014, there were more than 49,000 horses and burros on BLM-managed land, exceeding the BLM's estimated "appropriate management level" (AML) by almost 22,500. The Bureau of Land Management has implemented several programs and has developed partnerships as part of their management plan for preserving wild burros and horses in

2214-479: The forest is located in the rugged Wallowa Mountains , south of Joseph, Oregon , in the upper reaches of the Wallowa , Minam , and Imnaha drainage basins . The alpine area in the heart of the mountain range is designated as the Eagle Cap Wilderness . Bordering the national forest on the north, Wallowa Lake State Park is located on the shore of Wallowa Lake . A smaller section of the forest

Elkhorn Mountains (Oregon) - Misplaced Pages Continue

2268-465: The higher elevations, with Douglas-fir , white fir , western larch , and lodgepole pine elsewhere. Wildflowers include clarkia , Indian paintbrush , sego lily , elephanthead , larkspur , shooting star , and bluebell . Rocky bluffs in the Hells Canyon area support prickly pear cactus and poison ivy . The Forest Service uses controlled burns before the wildfire season to reduce

2322-440: The isolation of Grand Junction compared to other Western cities, having limited flights and road access. After the announcement, 87% of D.C.-based employees left, prompting former lead career BLM official Steve Ellis to state "the bureau lost a tremendous amount of expertise...[of] very seasoned people." On September 17, 2021, Secretary Deb Haaland announced that the headquarters would be moved back to Washington, D.C. Under

2376-869: The law directed the BLM to ensure these places are protected for future generations, similar to national parks and wildlife refuges . Source: BLM Resources and Statistics The BLM, through its Office of Law Enforcement & Security, functions as a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Government. BLM law enforcement rangers and special agents receive their training through Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC). Full-time staffing for these positions approaches 300. Uniformed rangers enforce laws and regulations governing BLM lands and resources. As part of that mission, these BLM rangers carry firearms and defensive equipment, make arrests, execute search warrants, complete reports and testify in court. They seek to establish

2430-569: The name was changed to Wallowa National Forest , and in 1954 the Wallowa was administratively combined with the Whitman National Forest to create the Wallowa–Whitman. The Whitman had been established on July 1, 1908, from part of the Blue Mountains National Forest . On June 20, 1920, part of Minam National Forest was added. The Eagle Cap primitive area was established in 1930. The area

2484-535: The natural fuel on the forest floor as part of its management of the forest. The land that is now the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest was first occupied by the Nez Perce people around 1400  CE . The area was the summer home of the Joseph Band of the Nez Perce tribe. The Cayuse , Shoshone and Bannock tribes arrived in the area some time later. The native people hunted deer, elk and bighorn sheep in

2538-531: The public rangelands by establishment of advisory boards that set grazing fees. The Oregon and California Revested Lands Sustained Yield Management Act of 1937, commonly referred as the O&;C Act, required sustained yield management of the timberlands in western Oregon. In 1946, the Grazing Service was merged with the United States General Land Office to form the Bureau of Land Management within

2592-522: The removal of excess animals; the killing of lame, old, or sick animals; the private placement or adoption of excess animals; and even the killing of healthy animals if range management required it. The killing of healthy or unhealthy horses has almost never occurred. Pursuant to the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 , the BLM has established 179 "herd management areas" (HMAs) covering 31.6 million acres (128,000 km ) acres where feral horses can be found on federal lands. In 1973, BLM began

2646-410: The specific recreational activity. A Northwest Forest Pass is required for parking at some high-use trailheads. The cost is $ 30 for an annual pass or $ 5 for a day pass. The Forest Service uses the permit revenue for trail maintenance. Permits are also required for firewood cutting, Christmas tree harvesting, and mushroom gathering . A special permit is required to raft on the Snake River. The forest

2700-439: The territories, patenting land that was surveyed via the corresponding Office of the Surveyor General of a particular territory. This pattern gradually spread across the entire United States. The laws that spurred this system with the exception of the General Mining Law of 1872 and the Desert Land Act of 1877 have since been repealed or superseded. In the early 20th century, Congress took additional steps toward recognizing

2754-399: The value of the assets on public lands and directed the Executive Branch to manage activities on the remaining public lands. The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 allowed leasing, exploration, and production of selected commodities, such as coal , oil , gas , and sodium to take place on public lands. The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 established the United States Grazing Service to manage

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2808-641: Was created by Congress during the presidency of Harry S. Truman in 1946 by combining two existing agencies: the United States General Land Office and the Grazing Service . The agency manages the federal government's nearly 700 million acres (2,800,000 km ) of subsurface mineral estate located beneath federal, state and private lands severed from their surface rights by the Homestead Act of 1862 . Most BLM public lands are located in these 12 western states: Alaska , Arizona , California , Colorado , Idaho , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oregon , Utah , Washington and Wyoming . The mission of

2862-415: Was designated as a wilderness in 1940. The Wilderness Act in 1964 placed the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Eagle Cap was enlarged by 73,410 acres (297 km ) in 1972 and by an additional 67,711 acres (274 km ) in 1984. Its area now totals 350,461 acres (1,418 km ). The Wallowa Mountains Visitor Center and district office for the national forest,

2916-457: Was so successful that BLM allowed it to go nationwide in 1976. The Adopt-a-Horse program quickly became the primary method of removing excess feral horses from BLM land given the lack of other viable methods. The BLM also uses limited amounts of contraceptives in the herd, in the form of PZP vaccinations; advocates say that additional use of these vaccines would help to diminish the excess number of horses currently under BLM management. Despite

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